| Biosecurity in the Egg Processing Plant
In
the context of biosecurity, egg processing rooms and coolers are considered
dirty areas because processing plants handle eggs from all flocks on
the farm and may receive eggs from other farms. Processing plants are
a melting pot, receiving eggs and equipment (pallets, racks and flats)
from multiple sources, all of which could potentially bring infectious
disease agents into one central location. Any and all traffic, direct
or indirect, between the processing plant and chicken flocks should
be considered a significant hazard and should be either avoided, or
interrupted by thorough and effective cleaning and disinfection. Parking Ideally
processing plant visitors, inspectors and employees should park their
vehicles off site in order to minimize the risk of carrying disease
agents onto the premises. Parking
areas that are paved, have gravel or some other surface that does not
accumulate water will minimize pathogen survival and, therefore, limit
risk. Plant
Visitors The
soles of shoes should be disinfected upon entering the processing plant
and covered with impermeable foot covering.In addition, hands should
be sanitized with soap and hot water and clean protective outerwear
should be donned, including a head covering. All protective clothing
should be provided by the processing plant and not transported by the visitor. Under
ideal conditions, a second shoe sanitation should be done before actually
entering the processing area. When leaving the plant, the visitor should
reverse the entry procedures, and leave the protective clothing at the
plant. It
is always a good idea to require all visitors to log in and out including
the date and time of the visit.
No one should be allowed to visit more than one plant per day,
therefore, all visitors should be asked whether they have been to another
plant or production facility that day. Egg
Inspectors Egg
inspectors that frequently visit the plant should be provided a place
(locker or something similar) to leave their protective clothing for
re-use and also the equipment they use (clipboards, pencils, forms,
etc.). Clipboards, pencils and forms should not be used in or transported
to other processing plants. Scales and other equipment that must be
transported between processing plants by inspectors should be wiped
down with sanitary cloths between uses and transported in clean plastic
bags or disinfectable containers. Egg
plant visitors and inspectors should never go from the processing side of the farm to the production
side because of the risk of transmitting pathogens to the chicken flock.
If it is necessary for a visitor to go to both production and
processing, they should visit the production side first before entering
the processing plant. Egg
Flats Egg
flats are a potential source of bacterial and viral pathogens and therefore
should be sanitized between uses.
Plastic flats should be washed in hot water with a detergent
to remove any organic material, and then disinfected with a sanitizing
agent. Most flat washers do not operate at high
enough temperatures for a long enough time to kill all pathogens, such
as the Avian Influenza virus; therefore the use of chlorine or some
other suitable disinfectant is essential for sanitation.
It is important not to over-fill the flat washer with flats so
that adequate water penetration between all flats is achieved. All sanitizing
agents are neutralized by organic material, making frequent changing
of the rinse water an essential component of flat sanitation.
During periods of high risk, when a pathogen is known to exist,
a second wash cycle should be considered. After
the flats have been washed and sanitized, they should be stored in a
clean environment to avoid recontamination.
Stacking clean egg flats on racks or pallets that have not been
sanitized should be avoided to prevent cross contamination. It is best that the sanitized egg flats
be returned to their original source and not co-mingled with flats from
other sources. If the processing
plant receives eggs from multiple farms and or companies, using colored
flats can help to keep flats from multiple sources separate. Egg
Racks, Trolleys and Pallets Except
for in-line collection systems, eggs are transported to the processing
plant on racks, trolleys or pallets, all of which have had contact with
the production facility. This
equipment must be considered contaminated with whatever pathogens exist
on the farm and therefore should be cleaned and disinfected between
uses. The
sanitation of racks, trolleys and pallets should include at least two
steps, cleaning and disinfection.
High pressure washing with a detergent capable of removing adherent
organic material should always precede the final step of disinfection. All organic material must be removed paying particular attention
to wheels and under surfaces of the equipment. If available, steam cleaning can be very
effective at removing organic material such as dried egg yolk. If steam cleaning is used, the application
of high temperature grease may be necessary to keep wheels well lubricated. Following
cleaning, the equipment should be disinfected using a registered material
applied according to the label directions. The disinfectant should be thoroughly applied to all surfaces
of the equipment, and then allowed to air dry before equipment is returned
to the production facility. As
with egg flats, the sanitized equipment should be stored in a clean
environment away from the processing plant and resident farm traffic
patterns to prevent re-contamination. Racks, trolleys and pallets should
be clearly identified (paint or other means) in order to minimize the
likelihood of co-mingling of equipment from multiple sources. All equipment should be returned to the original source farm,
and should not be shared with other farms. Incoming
Cooler Management Many
processing plants bring eggs in from multiple sources. Unprocessed eggs can carry dust, feathers
and feces on their surfaces and can be a significant source of pathogens.
If the processing plant is located on a farm that has all or
part of its production off-line, this presents a significant challenge
to prevent the transmission of a pathogen from off farm sources to resident
birds. One of the keys
to lowering the risk of disease exposure is to isolate off-line farm
eggs from the eggs coming from other farms in the incoming cooler.
The employee who brings the off-line eggs into the receiving
cooler will go back and forth between production and processing.
Therefore, it is essential that he or she not come in contact
with eggs from other farms. The
best way to prevent employees from becoming contaminated is through
the separation of equipment (racks, trolleys or pallets) and traffic
patterns. Ideally, there should be two separate
entrances to the cooler, one for off-farm eggs and one for on-farm eggs,
and the eggs should be stored in separate locations within the cooler. However, this is not possible in many
plants. One California
producer has designated two areas of the cooler separating off-farm
from on-farm eggs by painting lines on the floor that show employees
where to locate incoming deliveries.
Other methods that have been used are fences, temporary partitions
and walls. Whatever the system, it should be easy
to use so that employees will follow the prescribed traffic pattern. Rodent
and Insect Control Rodents
and insects can be an important source of pathogens. They can transmit diseases mechanically (on their bodies) or
biologically (within their bodies), therefore their control is important
to general plant sanitation and disease prevention. Exclusion of these pests is a first line of defense and the
most cost efficient method of control.
Exclusion requires the use of several common sense methods including
closing doors tightly, air curtains and traps. The
first point of exclusion of rodents is the outside perimeter of the
egg processing building. One
excellent aid is to lay down a 5- to 10-yard perimeter of 2-inch aggregate
gravel or other suitable material so that there is a relatively large
open space that rodents travel across to reach the building. Rodents prefer not to cross open spaces because they are vulnerable
to animals of prey. In
addition to the open perimeter, live traps can be placed approximately
15 ft. apart and at doorways into the plant.
All doors to the plant should fit tightly because mice and rats
can squeeze through one-fourth and one-half inch openings, respectively. Rodent
control within the plant usually involves the use of traps and rodenticide
baits. Only CDFA or USDA
approved rodenticides are allowed for use in processing plants. Traps and baits should be placed along
walls in all rooms of the plant, especially in the dry storage area. Effective
control programs for flies and other insects require the elimination
of breeding habitat and the elimination of food sources. Organic matter such as manure and decomposing vegetation are
excellent breeding habitats and should be removed from the building
perimeter. Keeping doors closed and the use of air
curtains can be effective mechanical barriers to prevent insect access
to the interior of the plant. Good general sanitation in the plant will
significantly reduce the risk of attracting insects.
Pesticides approved by CDFA or USDA can also be applied within
the plant. Doug
Kuney
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